The Pursuit of Happiness

Friday, June 1, 2007

Walt Whitman had a birthday yesterday. Leaves of Grass is one of the new books in our "We The People" collection. The blog at the Writer's Almanac had this to say about Whitman's efforts to promote Leaves of Grass:

Leaves of Grass came out on July 4th 1855. Whitman paid for its publication himself and arranged for it to be sold in different formats, at different prices, to reach as wide an audience as possible. He anonymously wrote wildly enthusiastic reviews of the book himself. He said: "The public is a thick-skinned beast and you have to keep whacking away at its hide to let it know you're there." But despite all of his efforts, he sold only 10 copies of the first edition, and gave away the rest.

How do you think people would react to this kind of self-promotion today?

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Thanks to a “We the People Bookshelf” grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association the Oro Valley Public Library has added several new books for children and teens to the collection. These books explore what it means to be an American and the theme of "Pursuit of Happiness." We hope that the information you find here will inspire you to read some of these books and consider what the pursuit of happiness means to different people in different places and in different times.

Throughout the upcoming year the library will feature these books in storytimes, book clubs and other activities. We're also going to be asking for your feedback. We want to hear what you have to say about the books. Did you like what you read? How did the book make you feel? Have you learned anything new about yourself or the world around you? Please leave you comments on this blog so we can all share our experiences.

The library also has a website dedicated to the “We the People Bookshelf” with links to resources about the books and authors. Watch this blog to see what other members of the community have to say about the books and for pictures of events at the library. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have. We would love to hear from you.